Skye was nervous. Disproportionately nervous. It had been three days since Bailey had spent a blissful night at her house on Sunday. They’d eaten dinner—delivery, of course, since Skye was not a chef—and had enjoyed a few glasses of wine on her balcony looking over the zoo and the lake and had laughed for hours about the antics of their families.
She’d told Bailey about the time that Babulya didn’t have any tomato sauce for the spaghetti, so she’d doctored up ketchup with balsamic vinegar, onions, and garlic. It hadn’t been terrible. But it also hadn’t been good. Bailey had told her about the time Gammy had tried to color her own hair and had accidentally turned it purple.
They also confirmed their chemistry on Saturday night, and Sunday morning hadn’t been a fluke, as the sex that night somehow topped the first. Perhaps because some of their insecurities and shyness no longer sat between them.
They’d started on the couch on Skye’s balcony again. She felt a rush of heat in her stomach as she thought of the orgasms that they’d both had on that little love seat under a blanket before moving inside, entirely unclothed already. Skye hadn’t worried about being seen; there were no tall buildings between her and the lake, and they were too high up for someone on the street to see. It had been so freeing to walk around completely naked. She’d never done that before.
But they hadn’t seen each other since. They’d texted quite a few times, but they’d both had busy schedules that week. Today, however, they had a walk-through of the spec suite that CBC was finishing the construction on. Would they be weird with each other? Would everyone know they’d slept together? What if she touched Bailey in a too-familiar way? What if Bailey touched her face or hair?
It was too late to back out once she was standing in front of the Maxwell Building, and the security guard had seen her. She pushed through the revolving door and walked through the lobby, trying to exude a confidence she didn’t feel. Fake it till you make it, right?
She was, unsurprisingly, the first person to arrive. Brokers ran on their own time that was much earlier than the general population’s. She’d accepted it as fact, and it was fine. She always used this time to catch up on emails. She had received the approved lease from Ellie for the attorneys, so she needed to forward that to Rob to send to his clients. She was ecstatic about that win. It was going to be a nice paycheck, and Bailey was going to do the construction since the attorneys were so enamored with the work she’d done on the roof-deck and in the spec suite.
When Skye heard the whir of the revolving door, she looked up to see Bailey walking in. She was dressed in what Skye was beginning to understand was her normal work uniform: dark jeans and a blazer, but today, her blazer was burgundy and paired with a dark gray shirt. The blazer was unbuttoned, and the swell of her breasts at the vee of her shirt made Skye think of how soft the skin there was and how she’d been very intimately acquainted with it a mere sixty or so hours before. And prayed to be intimately acquainted with it again soon.
Bailey whistled quietly. “Eyes are up here, tiger. Honestly, it boggles my mind how the entire real estate community doesn’t know you’re gay.” Her voice was so quiet Skye could barely hear, but she felt a rush of prickly embarrassment.
Bailey’s lips were quirked in the barest of smiles, her eyes twinkling. Skye cleared her throat. “I, uh, am normally a little more subtle. But you bring something out in me, and I can’t help myself.” She was, again, a lot more candid than she’d meant to be. She shook her head, laughing at herself.
“I would suggest that you try to help yourself, given that you aren’t exactly out at work, and we don’t want anyone to know about this, given that we’re working together. If Ellie walked in right now, she would see you looking like you want to drag me into that closet behind the security desk and have your wicked way with me.” Bailey’s expression said she wouldn’t mind that one bit.
Skye’s face felt impossibly hot, both at being so damn transparent but also at Bailey calling her on it. She tried to recover and stepped closer. Not enough to be improper but closer than she would normally stand to a colleague. “Luckily, Ellie knows about me already.”
“Really? You aren’t out to anyone other than one of your largest clients?” Bailey’s laugh echoed through the cavernous lobby and sounded twice as loud as her original laugh.
“Ellie was a mentor and friend well before she was a client. I met her in my Walter Payton High days, so she knows all my secrets.”
Bailey barked another echoing laugh.
“What?” Skye asked, perplexed.
“Just that you were out in high school, but you aren’t now. It’s a little backward, don’t you think?” Bailey put a hand on her chest as she leaned forward and laughed so hard, it sounded like she was gasping for breath.
Skye’s hackles went up, but after a breath, she found herself laughing along. Bailey was right. “You make an interesting point, Ms. Kaczmarek.” She shrugged. What else could she do? Other than try to stop laughing, as the echoes were no doubt reverberating through the entire building.
“All I’m saying is, you should school your face for the next hour or so unless you want everyone to know. Even if Ellie knows about you, we don’t want her to know about us for conflict-of-interest concerns. Though, if you want to look at me that way later, I’m available this evening at home.” Bailey cocked her head slightly and grinned.
How could she resist? She’d been longing for Bailey’s hands from the moment she and Patsy had left on Monday morning. “I believe I am free this evening. Can I bring dinner? What time?”
“Let’s plan for six and confirm the exact time around five? I’m a little nervous about when I’ll finish up at work.”
Skye felt a pang of disappointment at Bailey’s prioritizing work over her, though they weren’t actually dating. They’d agreed to keep it casual, so what did she expect? “Sure. You want to text me?”
“Hi, ladies,” Ellie yelled as she walked into the lobby, interrupting their moment. “Sorry I’m late.”
“You’re right on time,” Ryan said as he walked in behind her. “I am never late.” His bookish smile always put Skye at ease.
A sliver of irritation that she and Bailey had been interrupted before they could finalize their plans flickered through Skye, but she squelched it since they were here to work. Once pleasantries had been exchanged, she asked Bailey, “Is Jennifer joining us today? Or are we ready to go up?”
Bailey smiled, no doubt at the fact that Skye remembered the intern’s name. “She’s already upstairs with the superintendent prepping for this punch list walk, and I think Maureen is going to meet us up there, so we’re ready to go.”
When they walked into the spec office space, Skye was taken aback by how great it looked. “Bailey, I swear, your team and Ryan took the image straight out of my head and brought it to life. It’s simply stunning.”
Bailey beamed. “I’m so glad you’re happy with it.”
Ellie also spun around in the lobby, studying the glass wall into the kitchen and break area. “You outdid yourself, Bailey. Amazing design, Ryan, and thanks for the push on this, Skye.”
“I’m certain we’re going to get it leased within weeks.” Skye would have put money on it. The punch list walk went well, and before they knew it, Skye was preparing to head out.
Bailey came up behind her and whispered in a husky voice, “I can’t wait to see you later. I’ll text you.”
Her proximity was intoxicating, and Skye could only nod as she walked away.
“Do you have time before your next meeting, Skye?” Ellie said. “Want to grab a coffee?”
Skye hoped she hadn’t seen that intimate moment. “Sure. I’m actually free for the rest of the afternoon other than responding to a few emails.”
“Why don’t we make it wine, then? It’s already three. Once Upon a Wine?” Ellie squeezed her arm. “I don’t have any pressing obligations for the rest of the day, and it’s already been a week…” She grimaced.
“If my client insists, I certainly cannot turn her down.” Skye loved the freedom of being an independent contractor. It had been scary the first few years out of school when she was one hundred percent commission based and wasn’t sure if she was going to sign another deal in time to pay her rent, but now that she was established and had a steady pipeline of deals, it was wonderful. She was also a partner at her firm and didn’t have to answer to anyone.
Once they were settled and had placed their order, Ellie quickly got to the point of their meeting. “We’ve talked about it a little bit, but that big redevelopment I mentioned at the gala is going to happen. We have aldermanic approval and officially waived due diligence this week.”
Skye was thrilled for Ellie. Her firm would now have significant money that was nonrefundable, and unless something fell through on financing, they would almost certainly close on the property. “Congrats, Ellie. That’s awesome.” Skye was genuinely excited as she watched the pride radiate from Ellie. “Cheers,” she said, and they clinked glasses.
“It’s going to be the largest deal of my career, so I’m nervous. Which is why I want you on board ASAP. We have months of construction, but it’s going to be a huge undertaking. We need to figure out how to position the property, create catchy marketing, and it’s not too early to start preleasing. If we can get one or two more deals at the Maxwell, I can easily slide you over to the new development and let you hand the other Maxwell deals to some of your junior brokers.”
“That would be amazing.” Skye’s brain quickly ran with how much money she could make leasing that property and what it would do for her reputation.
Ellie winced. “If Maxwell leasing slows, I might have to use someone else just to appease the Investment Committee, but we don’t even need to think about that since it isn’t going to happen. You’ve been going gangbusters. A few more deals and we’re home free.”
Skye hated the thought of the new development going to anyone else, but she was confident that it wouldn’t be an issue. “I’m certain we can get a few more deals quickly, especially with that spec suite ready to go. Put the thought of hiring anyone else out of your mind.” She tried to plaster on her most confident smile despite a little doubt dragon rearing its nasty head.
Ellie lifted her glass. “Here’s to our next great success. I know you’ve got this.” They clinked glasses again, and Skye appreciated the bold flavors of the cab. It was the same one she’d shared with Bailey all those weeks ago in this same wine bar, and her heart accelerated thinking of how far they’d come since then. And how far she’d like to go that evening. “Now that we’ve got that straight, I’m switching from client to friend mode. What’s going on with you and Bailey?”
Skye choked when the wine slid down the wrong pipe and somehow also nearly went out her nose. She tried to regain her breath while not gagging as she struggled to breathe through her nose or mouth and feared she might suffocate. Ellie, in a gigantic display of rudeness, just laughed. As Skye continued to cough and took a sip of water, Ellie’s laughter became louder and more boisterous.
Skye finally managed to choke out, “Stop laughing, ass. I could die right now.”
“Is that any way to talk to your best client?” For a second, Skye thought she was serious…until she started laughing again. “You’re not going to die. You thought you were being surreptitious, but I’ve known both of you for too long. I interrupted something in the lobby, and don’t think I missed that little exchange before we left. I could practically see electricity arcing between you.” Skye coughed again. “And at some point, before you make the ‘Forty Under Forty’ list, you should learn to drink appropriately.” She was starting to cry she was laughing so hard as Skye continued to gasp for air. This was bullshit.
When Skye regained her breath, she said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Given that Ellie was already calling her out, she couldn’t put a finger on exactly why she was lying.
Ellie looked over her glasses. “Really? That’s the way you’re going to play this? Especially after that little display?”
“There’s nothing to ‘play.’ We’re friends. That’s mostly it. I think.”
“So the way you stared at her ass was a friendly gesture? Do you check out my ass like that when my back is to you?”
“I wasn’t. I don’t. Just…fine!” Skye’s face felt hot, and she threw her hands in the air. “We aren’t dating per se, but we, you know.”
“What do I know?” Her eyebrows lifted almost to her hairline.
Skye was apparently going to have to spell it out for her. “We…” She dropped her voice. “Had sex last weekend. A time or two. Or twenty.”
Ellie’s jaw dropped, and she mouthed, “Twenty?”
Skye thought for a moment. “If you count Saturday night, Sunday morning, Sunday night, and once, no, twice more Monday morning? I didn’t keep track, but that sounds about right. Maybe a few more.” She shrugged.
Ellie took a large sip of wine and fanned her face with the wine list. “Twenty-plus times? Have you ever had that many orgasms with someone before?”
“Definitely not. Maybe over the course of an entire relationship.” She hadn’t examined that truth before, but it was there. She hadn’t actually spent enough time with any particular woman to have the number of orgasms she’d had with Bailey in thirty-six hours. Not that she hadn’t had good sex before, but Bailey was indescribable.
“It’s nice to see you finally letting go, Skye.”
“I let go plenty. And you aren’t worried about any conflict of interest at work?” That question had been weighing heavily on her mind.
“Are you worried about one?” Ellie asked.
“We work together, so of course.” She couldn’t help but worry about what people might assume if they knew.
“Why? She doesn’t hire you, and you don’t hire her.” She paused and took another sip. “I hire you both, and since I’m not dating you, I don’t think anything could be seen as inappropriate.”
Skye hadn’t looked at it that way, but Ellie did have a point. She still wasn’t going to advertise anything, but knowing that Ellie wasn’t going to fire either of them because of it gave her a small amount of comfort. She nodded rather than saying anything else, absorbing this new angle.
“The next question is…how was it?”
“I had upward of twenty orgasms. How the hell do you think it was?” Skye started laughing so hard, tears sprang to her eyes as well.
“Now you’re just being rude,” Ellie said. “Rubbing it in.”
“Well, what about you? What’s going on in your love life?” Ellie had gotten her heart broken a few months ago, but Skye hoped she was at least starting to date again in her search for the elusive “one.”
Ellie rolled her eyes. “It gets exhausting always being the person before your girlfriend finds ‘the one,’ and I’m taking a break. I can’t keep trying when I’m emotionally exhausted, and work is about to be completely crazy.”
Skye didn’t envy Ellie’s difficult search for “the one” and was happy she felt no stress about that for herself. She was enjoying what was happening with Bailey, but they both knew it was a temporary arrangement, and therefore, it was essentially a stress-free endeavor. But she was still looking forward to seeing her that evening.
* * *
It was nearly seven when Bailey texted, and Skye’s stomach was rumbling when she pulled up in front of Bailey’s very cute brownstone at seven thirty. She’d swung by her favorite pizza place on the way over for something easy but tasty. And ideally quickly consumed so they could move on to other, more exciting activities.
Patsy greeted her at the door, but unlike Saturday, Bailey opened it before Patsy could. “Hey,” Bailey said. She was smiling but stood blocking the door as though unsure what to do.
Skye felt a rush of nerves. She wasn’t sure if she should hug Bailey, kiss her, or shake her hand. Okay, the hand shaking idea was dumb, given their weekend festivities, but this was the first time they’d been alone together since Monday morning, and it appeared that Bailey, at least, was unsure where things stood.
Skye didn’t want the evening to be awkward and placed her free hand on Bailey’s hip. “Hi,” she said and kissed her.
The tension seemed to leave Bailey as their lips met.
“Hi,” Skye said again as she pulled back.
“Thanks for grabbing dinner.” Bailey grabbed her free hand and pulled her inside. “Sorry that was weird for a sec. I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” Skye set the pizza on the kitchen island, a place she had vivid and delicious memories of. “Come here.” She pulled Bailey against her and kissed her again, drawing her in with one hand on the small of her back and the other threaded into her hair. Skye pushed her hips into Bailey’s, and Bailey’s moan sent her stomach fluttering as she deepened their kiss.
Bailey pushed her against her new favorite kitchen island. She could easily get lost in Bailey’s embrace, but a loud rumble broke their focus. “Was that your stomach or mine?” Bailey asked, her forehead against Skye’s.
“I’m not sure, but I am hungry. I picked a one-course meal with speed of consumption in mind.”
“I like it. Let me grab plates. Do you want wine?” Bailey gestured toward an open bottle of red on the counter with an empty glass sitting next to it. “I’m already into my first one.” She shrugged with a sheepish grin.
“Yes, please, and no judgment. I might have had a glass this afternoon with Ellie.”
“Oh, really? How’d that go?” Bailey set the plates on the counter and opened the pizza box.
Skye’s mouth watered at the smell of cheesy goodness inside. “Great. It was good to catch up. She’s got an interesting deal in the hopper. But more interesting, you and I were not as clandestine as we’d believed.” Skye grabbed the corner triangle and two square edge pieces out of the pizza box. Her favorite pieces were the ones with more crust.
Bailey inhaled sharply and paused with a slice halfway to her mouth. “That’s…awkward. Was she disapproving?”
“Not at all.” Skye took her first bite. The hot cheese burned the roof of her mouth, but the heavenly mix of crust, tangy sauce, and melty cheese more than made up for it. Chicago knew how to do pizza. Even if they were inclined to cut it into squares. “She was actually supportive. She told me she was proud of me for”—she dropped her pizza slice to make quotes—“letting go. Whatever that’s supposed to mean.”
Bailey coughed and smirked. “That sounds very similar to a conversation I had with Roxy and Jessica today.”
Skye wondered how she’d had time to call both her sisters and had also worked over two hours late. She didn’t want to have hurt feelings, but stupidly, she felt them. “Oh?”
Bailey rolled her eyes. “The Bobbsey Twins called while I was in the car to grill me about Friday night. Jessica was very disappointed that she missed it and promised to attend our mothers’ next cooking extravaganza. Which is apparently soon. Has your mom called you? Has she tried to press you for more info since you were over there on Sunday?”
“Oh, shit. I missed her call earlier this afternoon, and I totally forgot to call her back.”
“You’re going to be in trouble.” She sang the word “trouble” like a grade-schooler.
“I know. Give me one sec to call her back now. Is that okay?” Skye didn’t want to panic at not having called her back, but if she didn’t, her mom would try to guilt trip her for at least the next week. Maybe longer.
“Of course. Just don’t be too long, or I might eat the rest of this pizza by myself. This is my first meal since my smoothie at seven this morning.”
Skye brushed her lips softly across Bailey’s and stepped into the living room. Mama’s phone rang several times before going to voice mail. Skye apologized and asked her to call when she had a moment. She was secretly relieved that she wouldn’t have to evade any questions about what she’d been doing that afternoon or more importantly, where she currently was, even if she felt a little guilty about it.
“No answer.” She shrugged as she walked back into the kitchen. “So the family dinner round two is soon?”
“Three weeks. At your house, apparently.” Bailey laughed again.
Skye gritted her teeth. Her mother had some nerve. She refused to move to a bigger place or a better neighborhood, but she had no problem inviting a gaggle of people to Skye’s house. And yet, Skye couldn’t help but laugh too. “It’s a good thing I love her. She’s…pushy.”
“Your mother or Babulya?” Bailey asked.
“I meant my mother, though I suppose Babulya is just as likely a candidate. For some reason, she doesn’t frustrate me as much. It doesn’t matter, though. I’ll give them pretty much whatever they want.”
“Really?” Bailey furrowed her brows.
“Why do you say it like that?” Skye was surprised that she didn’t get irritated by Bailey’s tone when a few weeks ago, she would have assumed it was judgmental.
“Please don’t take this the wrong way.” Bailey looked nervous. “I just wasn’t expecting you to be so…accommodating.”
Skye laughed and placed a hand on Bailey’s arm. “No offense taken. I’m not accommodating for most people, but the life I have is because of the sacrifices my family made for me and the drive they helped me develop, so there are very few things that I won’t do for them. Even when they annoy the life out of me.”
Bailey pulled her in for a brief but hot kiss. “Who would’ve thought you were such a softie.” She smiled, and Skye melted. “But you had to get that pushiness from somewhere. I can’t say I’m surprised it was them.”
This could be trouble. When Bailey gave her that genuine, unguarded smile, Skye felt things she should not be feeling for someone she was only casually hanging out with. She needed to put the kibosh on these pesky feelings now before she set herself up for heartbreak. But unguarded Bailey did something to her that she didn’t want to stop.